The Happiness Project

I am blown away by these sounds, these ideas, these juxtapositions of harmony.  Right-here-now this album is my bread and butter. It fills me up, gives me energy. A symphony of synchronicity and connectivity, which for me is LIFE presented in a most beautiful way. Yes, please do lend your ears-hearts-minds to this.

http://www.happiness-project.ca/index.php

Love's Celebration

The wedding of my dreams would be a fusion of the following inspiration:



LIGHTHEARTED, WHIMSICAL (If you haven't read this story, "The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle," or any of the other Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg, you should if you like silliness.)




EARTHY, SIMPLE ELEGANCE (A traditional Gnome Wedding from Gnomes by Rien Poortvliet and Wil Huygen)




LOTS OF MUSIC, DANCING, and FUN!

YUKI!

A few months after we got Yuki, we received an email from the Vice President of the Humane Society where we got Yuki telling us that she was working on a book that she wanted Yuki to be featured in. The book is tentatively titled A is for Angel: A Dog-Lover's Guide to the Alphabet. Each spread will feature a large photo of a dog whose name begins with a specific letter of the alphabet. Yuki will be the "Y" dog. So, we were asked to write something about Yuki which will be included in the book. We don't know for sure if the book will get published or not, but either way, I am glad I was given the opportunity to put into words what Yuki means to us. Here's what I submitted:

Yuki loves life. For her, the daily routines of life are events to look forward to and to celebrate. She has taught us the beauty of welcoming every moment as if it were a gift. I mean even the moment in the car, when without warning Yuki looked us straight in the eyes and pooped in the back seat. With Yuki (and in life) you can have the perspective that what you see is what you get. Oh, but Yuki has taught us that there is so much more than meets the eye and that what you don't see is what you don't get. Wonder is waiting around every corner. Each smell and sight and sound contains worlds within it. And if you stare into the abyss of Yuki's eyes, those windows to treasure houses of mischevious love, I think you'll see, as we have, a small child laughing. There are times we're convinced she's hoarding in the folds of her skin stubborn wisdom. The kind which (like Yuki) may not come easily or quickly, but if asked to will eventually come. The kind of wisdom that says: Don't be afraid to contain multitudes. Yuki certainly isn't. She is Sharpei, she is Shephard, part terror, part teacher. Her lessons: forgive often, love well, and dig IT all! And we like to think, as many dog owners do, that she's also part human, the source of great destruction and tender healing. Though she is undoubtedly one of the clumsiest dogs I have ever seen, sometimes when I see her running towards me, those ears floppin' and that skin flappin', as she barrels clumsily into me, licking my face, I think I am witnessing pure Grace. And what a gift it is, that every day we are given the opportunity to love something that loves us back.

All I Really Need to Know about Australia I Learned on YouTube

Unfortunately, the Men at Work song, "Down Under" and Crocodile Dundee are pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Australia. Oh yeah, and they have koalas and kangaroos and say "mate" a lot. While I probably should be doing practical research about Australian culture, housing, employment, etc... Instead, I find myself watching this: 

and this:

And in my opinion, they have both withstood the test of time. Really, what more do I need to know?

A Sunday kind of Love

Since we found out we will be moving to Australia, Jason and I decided to make it a point to soak up as much DC culture as possible in our last few months here. There are many things we have taken for granted. One of the things we love most about DC is the plethora of quality museums. So, on Sunday we went to the Botanical Garden and the Hirshhorn Museum, both of which were inspiring and refreshing. Here are a few highlights from the day: Go here for more if interested: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/  and  http://www.usbg.gov/  Though I've never met a plant I didn't like, my absolute favorites from the Botanical Garden were the orchids and the desert plants. Oh, and the ferns. My favorites from the Hirshhorn were definitely Ron Mueck's "Untitled (Big Man)" from the Strange Bodies exhibit (seen in slide show) and "Der Lauf Der Dinge" (The Way Things Go) by Fischli and Weiss. Here is an excerpt from the 31 minute film: